I’m repenting! I’ve been neglecting my vegetarian friends. There’s just no fundamental excuse for this *hangs head in shame* But… better late than never, right? Have to say I think a lot of you non-vegetarians will like this soup as well.

Sharing one of my favorite soups here. It’s a beautiful bright orange and thick meal soup. Very creamy, even though there’s not a drop of cream to be found in there. It’s just a simple, healthy soup, chockful of flavor and with a surprising crunchy twist to it. I think you’ll like it!

Choose color! Go for yellow, red or orange. No green peppers, though. We’re going to roast them, so use your preferred method. I’ve cut them in half, de-seeded them and used the grill in my oven this time.

Once they were nice and black, I placed them in a glass bowl and covered them with plastic wrap. Set them aside to let them cool off.

This is where I buy most of my vegetables. And specifically my madam Jeanette’s, ginger and sweet potatoes. Much to my surprise, they also sold Okra! I thought it was virtually impossible to buy here, so Gumbo it is pretty soon!

That’s the owner you see here. He’s a really nice guy. J-man always gets a banana from him, whoever gives J-man his bananas is his friend for life. They always stuff our kids at the farmers market, with healthy foods, though. Cheese slices, mini buns at the bakery stand, a small handful of raisins here and some banana chips there, things like that. No wonder the kiddo loves going to the market.

Those Dutch vendors sure like to be photographed! This one even posed for me! It was funny when he said “picture picture” in English to me. I turned around and said “I thought we called that ‘foto’ here?” He mistook me for a tourist because of the camera dangling on my chest. I get that a lot.

But back to the recipe. I’ve peeled, washed and cut up one large sweet potato. It was around 7 oz. If this is too sweet for you, you can replace 3.5 oz sweet potato for regular potato as well.

I bought some fresh garlic on the market as well. Love the stuff. The flavor is by far superior to its dried counterpart. I’ve grated 2 small cloves.

I’ve also prepared roughly 4 cups vegetable broth.

Heat 2 tbsp butter or oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, leeks and garlic. Cook everything, over low heat, for about 5 minutes. Until the onions start to soften.

Add 1/4 tsp turmeric (or curry powder) and two dried bay leaves.

Also get your sweet potato pieces in there. Stir to combine.

Pour in the vegetable broth. You could also use chicken broth, if you like. Or even plain water will work, though you’ll have less flavor to your soup.

Here’s what mine looked like. Bring to a boil, pop the lid and simmer, over low heat, for about 20 to 25 minutes. Until the potatoes are tender.

In the mean time the bell peppers will have cooled off enough for you to handle them. Take the skin off—which is childsplay right now—and finely chop them.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and sautee 5 to 6 tbsp drained corn until they turn slightly brown. Corn pretty much takes on the flavor of whatever sauce/liquid you combine it with, so we’ll use that to our advantage. Squeeze a good splash of sweet chili sauce in there, stir, cook for 2 more minutes, then turn the heat off and set the pan aside.

Check the potatoes for readiness.

Remove the bay leaves, add the finely chopped roasted peppers and season with salt, pepper, and (freshly grated) nutmeg. Also add a good splash of lemon juice. I ran out of fresh lemons. Woe is me.

I always use my much beloved immersion blender—or rod mixer, as I like to call it—but you can also transfer the soup to a regular blender or even food processor. Just turn it into a creamy soup.

Garnish with the crispy and spicy corn and throw in some flat-leaf parsley, just because you can. Is this pretty or what? You know this will be a flavor-bomb! I have to admit I’m very proud of the intro and end shots. Love ’em.

Perfect timing. Today my hubby and I were just saying we should make a big pot of soup for my father-in-law as he likes soup in the evenings (he is 90 *smile*)
So next week I will make this. I think it would be awesome with a little crispy bacon on top too?
Thanks
Sue

Thank you for a vegetarian posting! I am not vegetarian, but I abstain from meat 3 times a week due to health and environmental reasons. So more vegetarian recipes are very welcome :) And I will definitely try this soup. I always like to cook with vegetables I have never prepared before, like that sweet potato.

I am so intrigued by this one…I have to try it..not a vegetarian but I adore veggies, sweet potatoes and sweet chili sauce! And I love to get out my immersion blender too..it’s a fun way to play with your food!

I love the photos you took while you were shopping, so vibrant and fresh. They look like they could be used as an advertisement for the market! And the pose and expression on the vendor who wanted you to take his picture is classic. Too funny! :)

This definitely sounds like a lovely soup to make and try. I love how you make all those how-to shots, but how do you do that while cooking? Is there someone else shooting while you cook (or do you shoot while someone else is cooking?) I was just wondering how you manage it, as they look very good!

Simone, that became a second nature. I’ll use a tripod, or shoot with my right hand while performing the action with my left hand. I’ll often also use an extra pair of hands, everyy visitor is a potential candidate :)

This soup is fantastic!!! A great Sunday choice for a cool, overcast day!! I also think it would taste great with a smidge of parmeson or asiago on top if you don’t like corn. Thanks so much for this recipe!

Great pictures! I don’t usualy follow exact recipes while cooking soups, just use what I have, but your whole post I have readed with all attention just because the process is so beautifull and taken so nicely.